Designer Karen Cole shows off her personality with a comfortable living space.

A row of graphic framed prints lined up on a shelf above the sofa brings quiet harmony to an eclectic room. “I just love that Moroccan light fixture,” says Karen. “That’s me. I like a hint of bohemian in the mix.”

Wide off-white stripes give beige walls a boost and provide a strong visual backdrop for tailored pieces, such as a modern linen sofa.

A neutral wool rug works well with an eclectic mix of materials and pieces — embroidered artwork, a spooled-wood lamp, a sober wing chair. A hint of soft colour, like light blue in spring or ochre in autumn, adds a seasonal lift.

A bookcase filled with leather-bound books adds elegance in this old world style space.

A clean white palette keeps the look current and fresh while a leather wingback chair elevates the room. A decorative chair with flared legs can be used as extra seating and is more airy than an upholstered piece.

This living room is flooded with light from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Homeowner and designer Ashley Botten’s challenge was to create a cosy, inviting space for her young family; she accomplished that with grey-green walls, softly hanging grey drapes and ethnic textiles.

A seductive play of tones, textures and silhouettes evokes a lounge-like vibe in this living room. A New York flea market yielded the ageless tufted-leather sofa and chairs, contrasted against a pale antique rug and glass-and-metal tables. Sexy black lamps and an abstract wood sculpture offset the linear window frames.

Floor-to-ceiling watery blue drapes hung on a brass rod add opulence to comfortable pieces, such as a caramel leather ottoman. The TV is hung over a limestone fireplace flanked by bookshelves. A miniature striped chair was designed for the homeowners’ four-year-old daughter.

Look to nuanced shades of primary colours for a vivid, yet grownup look.

Historic blue walls look especially stately when blocked out with panel mouldings, and they balance the wow factor of a terracotta ceiling. Place an eye-catching sofa against a wall painted a similar tone so it blends in and feels inviting, not overbearing. Introduce playful patterns with saffron-yellow accents, then offer breathing space with neutral pieces like a jute rug and a polished wood table.

Influenced by her designer mother’s sense of style, Toronto homeowner Jennifer Young took cues from her childhood home to create a trendy space. “We had a David Hicks rug in the dining room when I was growing up, and I find myself with one now,” she says. Filled with pretty and unusual travel finds, this living room benefits from a myriad of prints and textures in a monochromatic colour scheme.

This bright and spacious living room features a marble fireplace, sandblasted glass windows, and a set of facing sofas on a golden-coloured rug.

A mirrored sideboard and modern hanging pendant light add sparkle and a touch of glamour. The Fred Herzog photograph above the mantlepiece and a petrified tree stump layer in an edgy, contemporary note.

Slipcover hand-me-down chairs and ottomans in the same fabric for a cohesive look.

When the slipcovers get dirty, just toss them in the wash. Other wallet friendly ideas include using washable flat paint on walls for easy wiping, and opting for bare floors throughout. Reinvent vintage finds like homeowner Ingrid Oomen did here — she had the antique post lamp rewired into a pendant light.

Designer Tommy Smythe‘s former Victorian semi was defined by its striking mix of dark and light, and formal and fun pieces. In the living room, the symmetrical placement of chairs, demilune console tables, lamps and floral arrangements lent a feeling of formality. The antique lantern once hung in the hallway of Tommy’s childhood home.

Designer Michael Angus painted the two inexpensive builder doors at the end of his living room black, making them look like vintage metal. A master of the mix, he paired a contemporary teak coffee table with an antique leather stool and slipcovered furniture. The focal point of the room is a simple fireplace which Michael installed to give the sense of being in a house, rather than an apartment.

A bay window and fireplace alcove balance the large proportions of this space.

Elegant seating — slipper chairs in taupe wool, and stools in hand-woven tiger-print silk velvet — surrounds a Louis XVI desk cut down to coffee-table height. (The sophisticated room allows for two generous seating areas.) The bronze statue was originally a garden sculpture. Interior designer Sloan Mauran considers this the best room in her house. “I didn’t have to do much more than paint and upgrade the lighting,” she says.

Maude Arsenault and Eric Tessier painted the exposed brick in their Montreal home the same colour as the walls to give the room a seamless look, while floating white shelves allow selected objects to stand out.

Interior designer Christie Hansen designed the living room’s slender matching coffee tables — which can be pushed together as one — to ease movement through the space; they’re also easier to reach from the sofas. Architect Jim Pearson took his inspiration for the 22-foot reclaimed barnboard ceiling from old Ontario barns. Its rustic beams are a fitting counterpoint to the elegant furniture.

Stone, seagrass, wicker and wood mix with slate grey and quince green for an edgier take on the Hamptons look.

A daring colour palette, large windows and an incredibly high ceiling all contribute to the jaw-dropping style of the 2010 Princess Margaret Showhome’s open concept living room. Patterned pillows in crisp blue and white bring decorative punch to the home’s clean, uncluttered aesthetic and classic furniture. Breezy sightlines between rooms maintain an airy feel.

See more of the 2010 Princess Margaret Showhome in our photo gallery. Also, watch Lynda Reeves tour the space.

Tastefully update flea-market finds so that they look stylish, not secondhand.

This room proves that affordable, vintage finds can add sophistication to any space. The chair was found in an antique shop with tattered, outdated pink upholstery. Stripping the stain from the wood frame and retufting and reupholstering it in neutral linen gave it a classy, Barbara Barry effect. The collection of frames are from various thrift stores and even the garbage. A few coats of matte white spray paint made them like new for a cohesive art wall. A round pedestal table found at Value Village was also transformed with two coats of black paint to become a new side table. The teal throw and patterned toss cushions add personality to an affordable white sofa from Ikea.

The serene former living room of fashion designer Paul Sinclaire is like a canvas deftly punctuated with art and accessories. Handsome mouldings and a herringbone brick firebox add sophistication to the space.

To complement the region’s northern light, owner Monique Waqué decided to decorate with pale colours evocative of Danish style. Check fabrics in a mix of colours and scales are used as the home’s primary pattern. Monique furnished rooms minimally, buying many items at auctions in Denmark or Germany. Much of it is Scandinavian or French, and small in scale to suit the cosy dimensions.

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